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A Message From Debra Lam
For almost six years, PIN has worked alongside communities, researchers, entrepreneurs, students, and public-sector leaders across Georgia and the Southeast — and one lesson keeps proving true: strong ideas need strong partners, places to test, and people committed to implementation. Earlier this month, I shared that story with almost 40 State AI Officers at the State AI Officers Summit, hosted by the Center for Civic Futures and the Georgia Technology Authority. I highlighted how PIN connects talent, communities, and organizations around real-world challenges so innovation moves from concept into practice.
We see AI not as a silver bullet, but as a tool that can strengthen local problem-solving when communities have the right partnerships, data, and capacity in place. Across our network, we are working with local partners to test responsible AI applications in areas like transportation and energy — and to scale what actually works for people on the ground.
From pilots to practice, we’re committed to making emerging technologies deliver concrete results for the communities we serve.
— Debra Lam, Founding Executive Director, Partnership for Innovation
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Partnership for Innovation Launches Record 2026 Summer Internship Cohort | |
PIN launched its largest Summer Internship Program cohort to date, bringing together 139 students from 38 universities to work on 91 projects across 74 organizations throughout the Southeast. From community health and advanced manufacturing to entrepreneurship and public-sector innovation, students are contributing to projects that strengthen local communities while building the skills and relationships that will shape the region's future workforce. READ MORE
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PIN Fellowship Expands Innovation Across the Workforce in Georgia and Beyond
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The PIN Fellowship connects talent with real-world challenges across industry, government, nonprofits, and research institutions. In 2025, Fellows are working on projects ranging from advanced manufacturing and fintech to AgTech, digital literacy, and regional planning across Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan. As the program enters its third year, Fellows are helping organizations solve critical challenges while building the skills, experience, and connections that drive innovation and economic growth. READ MORE
| | PIN Summer Interns by the Numbers | | |
Innovation in Action:
PSI Site Visits
Throughout June, the PIN team is conducting a series of host site visits with community organizations, universities, regional commissions, tribal communities, and innovation partners across Georgia, Mississippi, and Virginia. These conversations help us better understand local priorities, strengthen partnerships, and identify opportunities to support community-driven innovation through future investments and collaboration.
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AI and Community Partnerships Advance Diabetes Care in Rural Georgia
As we celebrate Community Health Month, a PIN-supported project in Stewart County is demonstrating how technology and community partnerships can improve health outcomes. Researchers from Georgia Tech and Emory University are working with the Wims Community Center to test an AI-powered mobile app that helps identify early signs of diabetic foot ulcers while strengthening digital health literacy in rural Georgia. READ MORE
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Charleston Flood Resilience + EMS
Healthy communities depend on more than hospitals and clinics. They also depend on the systems that keep people safe during emergencies and help communities respond when disasters occur. In Charleston County, South Carolina, PIN-supported partners are working with Georgia Tech researchers to explore how artificial intelligence and digital twin technology can strengthen emergency response during flooding events. For communities facing increasing risks from flooding and extreme weather, projects like this demonstrate how innovation can support public safety, strengthen resilience, and contribute to healthier communities. READ MORE
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The AI Lab Next Door
A new report on AI and higher education highlights PIN's work with Georgia Tech as a model for connecting research, talent, and community needs. From rural agriculture to economic development, the partnership demonstrates how AI can create public value when innovation is deployed alongside local communities. READ MORE
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Okefenokee bid for World Heritage status gets key endorsement
A recent celebration of efforts to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge highlights the power of collaboration in safeguarding one of Georgia's most important natural assets. Through a partnership between the Okefenokee Swamp Park and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, PIN-supported interns helped advance UNESCO World Heritage Site designation efforts through community engagement, educational programming, and stakeholder outreach—helping raise awareness of the refuge's ecological and economic importance. READ MORE
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Rewinding Southern Spark
At Southern Spark in Jackson, Mississippi, PIN's Associate Director of Impact, Jamal Lewis, joined Christele Parham of MBT Collective and Bob Buseck of Mississippi Coding Academy to explore how communities across the South can build AI capacity through partnerships, workforce development, and local innovation.
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NGIN: City Scapes Summit
The City Scapes Summit, held in New Orleans, LA, convened national thought leaders and practitioners to advance place-based strategies that integrate tech-based economic development, community development, health equity, and innovative financing to drive long-term impact in underinvested small and mid-sized cities across the Nation.
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Innovation Resources
Join Us for the Emerging Innovators Celebration July 31
The Emerging Innovators Celebration brings together interns, fellows, employers, project leaders, and community partners from across the Southeast to showcase a year of innovation, workforce development, and community impact. Join us for project presentations, networking, and stories from the people helping move communities forward.
For more information regarding the event, please visit https://pingeorgia.org/eic/.
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2027 Emerging Innovators Employer Applications Open September 1
Could your organization benefit from additional talent and capacity? The Emerging Innovators program connects organizations with students, recent graduates, and professionals who help advance projects across innovation, technology, workforce development, and community impact. Applications for 2027 host organizations open September 1–November 1.
Interested in learning more? Contact Engagement Manager, Clarence Anthony Jr., to discuss becoming a host site.
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